Small Sur – photo by Henn Pict

Today has been excellent so far.  Really excellent.

Small Sur posted on their Facebook wall this morning about a recent live recording that was up for a free download.  Apparently the long time in the making session for Mobtown Studios came to fruition and we now have 13 tracks to download from the “Microshow: Live in Baltimore” session!  Wrapped up in this set are some new tracks, old tracks (like a personal favourite ‘The Kelp’), mostly new tracks (like the personal favourite ‘The Woods’) and a few covers (like the personal favourite ‘Still Life Blues’ from Elephant Micah).  God damn it is an excellent day so far.

Oh, did I mention that Small Sur also said they are also recording a new album today?  Told you it was an excellent day.

Small Sur – “Still Life Blues (Elephant Micah Cover)” – Microshow Session
(this is just a taster at 192kbps – visit Mobtown for the full session at 320kbps)

Find out more on Small Sur: Website | Facebook | Bandcamp

~Smansmith

P.S.  Does Bob Keal’s vocals on this cover actually sound like Joe O’Connell from Elephant Micah?  I thought so too!

Today sees the release of the newest opus from Elephant Micah. Being big fans around Slowcoustic HQ, this is an even bigger day as we also have a quick interview with Joe O’Connell along with our post on the album!

The album is “Louder Than Thou” and is released from O’Connell’s own label Product of Palmyra in digital and vinyl formats. It is 6 tracks of what might be called a return to form if you thought that was even needed from this Indiana project. First off, it comes in at 6 songs and some of you might say that it is an EP and not an LP, but songs range from 4 1/2 to 7 1/2 minutes each so we can all agree this album while still being a touch short is definitely in the LP arena.

The songs are described as “Avant Americana” and include instrumentation some may find experimental in nature but still natural with the songs. Louder Than Thou fuses a feel for the music instead of arranging 10 x 3 minute tracks of acoustic guitar. Sure I say that flippantly, but it is actually true – the album isn’t straight forward but still includes the bones of what would be called a folk album. Tracks like (my favourite) ‘Airline Living’ has this floating aura with 70s influenced band elements and this bass line straight out of a Sofia Coppola movie soundtrack. As a stand alone track, this one has been a favourite for weeks now.

The lead off single (if that is what you would call it) is the song ‘If I Were a Surfer’ and it could be the beginning to ‘Airline Living’ and is simply a blanket of pure velvety folk goodness.

You might even get a bit of ‘upbeat’ in the track ‘My Cousin’s King’ and ambient instrumental-ism in ‘Rooster On the Loose’ but you always know you are listening to Louder Than Thou. While there is an ebb and flow to the album’s song crafting, it is still a full album and is one that fits into the incredibly deep back catalog of the band.

I had a chance to have Joe O’Connell talk about a few items on who “Elephant Micah” is and a bit about this new album.

~Interview with Joe O’Connell of Elephant Micah~

• For those in the know, they [for the most part] consider Joe O’Connell to be “Elephant Micah”. Who (or what) is Elephant Micah to Joe O’Connell?

I guess Elephant Micah is the name of a project, and I’m the person responsible for that project. The name is just a placeholder… just a title that ties together some series of performances and recordings over time. It’s supposed to be, ah, adaptable.

On this record, Justin and Nathan Vollmar (of the band Vollmar) helped me arrange and record basic tracks. Kate Long, Kyle Langvardt, and Michael Anderson each did overdubs.

• Your website indicates that Louder Than Thou is the “…clearest statement of the Elephant Micah sound”…what should someone take away from the new album if they hear it for the first time today?

This project has developed pretty slowly over time. I think it has only recently started to hit its stride. I would like this record to come across as the work of people who have been at it a long time, who are making their most compelling music in the present, and who are committed to continuing on that trajectory.

On Louder Than Thou – there is an ebb and flow on the album from the softer singer songwriter to the more experimental song crafting – how do you balance the traditional and non-traditional sounds?

On this record, it was less a matter of balancing two different styles and more a matter of creating the right, ah, stylistic contour (?) over the course of the recording. We just aimed to make decisions (in arranging, performing, mixing, etc.) that would allow the songs to hang together… within the overall scope of a record that is fun to listen to, and changes a lot over its course.

What I mean to say is, I was probably looking for a way to have changes in style without polarizing (?) style in terms of folk vs. rock, quiet vs. loud, experimental vs. “poppy,” or whatever.

How is it to be an artist and your own label? Does your label half push you to release more and then your artist side ask to slow down and enjoy the actual music?

Ooh, well, it is impossible. I just want to get this record out there and I don’t know a better way to do it.

• Would you release any other acts on your label? Any side projects that you feel shouldn’t fall under the moniker of Elephant Micah?

Sure, if I had unlimited resources, I would want to help release other people’s music. I can think of lots of great projects to do along those lines. As it stands, though, it takes all the time and money I can muster to get one Elephant Micah record out.

• As a songwriter – do you collaborate, write from experience, collect stories and combine to create an song/album?

I think the answer to this question might be “no.”

I do fool around with words, tunes, and guitar parts a lot. When I hit upon something that piques my interest, I pursue it and try to expand upon it. Sometimes my sense of an idea is strong enough that it will lead to other ideas. I try to string these ideas together into a set that I can record as an album.

My ideas come from playing with language, themes, genre rules… and maybe sometimes the starting point of an idea is something you could call experiential or real… something sort of observational. But that is mainly just a jumping off point for the rhetoric of the song. If I sing about the village of Rocky Ripple, Indiana, for example, it’s because I find it useful for staging a song with a certain aesthetic about “real places” and “real people.” I do like these genres that are take up real life (country, confessional, etc.), but I think that how they work and whether they work is purely a matter of good style, not a matter of true stories.

• Do you feel successful as an indie artist?

At first I wrote “no.” It’s a struggle to gather up all the resources I need to make a record. That’s why it’s been a while between this one and the last one.

But I’m going to go ahead and venture that I do feel successful. I’m managing to make really strong recordings, and get them out to people that derive some meaning from them. I don’t want to come across as anti-commercial in any simple way, or as being indifferent to whether more people hear my music. And I don’t want to claim some integrity or importance on the basis of being “marginal” to the indie music world. But I think I can say that I’m happy with what I’m doing, and I do see it as successful by my standards.

• Who are a few contemporaries that you would want to work with?

Will Oldham, Dark Dark Dark, the Cairo Gang, Small Sur, Hiss Golden Messenger, Vollmar, Pillars and Tongues, Magnolia Electric Company, Breathe Owl Breathe, Lougow, Bronze Float, Time and Temperature, the 1-2-3’s, the Flying Burrito Others, Scout Niblett, Thousand Arrows, Hurray for the Riff Raff, the Luddites, Bubbly Mommy Gun, the Blue River Music Association, Jon Kay, Grease Gravy, Century of Aeroplanes, Jandek, Califone, Little Wings, Aurora Nealand, Delay, For Barry Ray, Ben and Bruno, the Hollows, Open Sex, Norman Oak, Mary Oakie, Joe Manning, Nathan Salsburg and James Elkington, the Red Queen Hypothesis, Honey Radar, Canadian Rifle, Tammar, Uno Moss, June Panic, Alasdair Roberts, Cathy Irwin, Mark Kozelek, June Panic, and more.

• What was your main “New Year’s Resolution”?

“Keep going,” as they say.

~~~

Swing by the Product of Palmyra Bandcamp page HERE to pick up a copy today. Digital is “Pay What You Want” and the vinyl is a limited version of 375 and it will sell out.

~Smansmith

Very happy to find in my twitter feed about a new release from Joel P West (frontman of The Tree Ring – see a post on them here) and I want to assure you right now that my excitement for new material was well warranted!

There is something about West’s voice that makes me want to join in (and utterly destroy what he has going on mind you) as his timbre just works for these rich textures of acoustic goodness.  The ‘Shoulder Seasons’ EP is 5 tracks recorded just last month and were officially released on his Bandcamp page on Nov. 24th.  As the EP is an acoustic affair, I don’t want you to think it is “stark” & “lonely”, but actually quite full of rich sounding layers of strings…and again that voice over it all.  West gets a bit of help from an outside string section for the closing track ‘We’ll Learn Them Soon’ that is featured below as a perfect closing song and to match it, the opening track ‘Desperate, Desperate’ is also included.  The EP is a must have for a measly $5.00.

So swing on by his Website for more info on Mr. West & Bandcamp Page HERE to pick up the new EP, check out his film Score for The Room Behind The Fireplace and do not forget his Dust Jacket project from a few years back.

~Smansmith

Ever since one of my mates (I can say mate as he is from the UK, so there) turned me onto Stripmall Ballads I have been wanting to post something over here on Slowcoustic. There is a great interview post over on You Crazy Dreamers HERE with Phillips Saylor who is the man they call Stripmall Ballads.

Not unlike his moniker, I find the music Saylor creates can have a bit of everything in an unassuming package – there is country, folk, noise, rock all mixed into a lo-fi package that really works. The one “piece of work” that I have really enjoyed is “Since Jimmy Died” which was released last year and is 10 tracks of a man singing his very heart out. Not in the sense that he can sing no longer, but in a sense that he leaves everything out there for you to ingest. Let yourself take it all in and you will realize that this tragic sounding album is one of the most beautiful things you will hear. I swear that this album breaks my heart just a little each time I listen to it and it isn’t entirely due to subject matter but the overall atmosphere the album creates. If I was more aware of the album, it would have been placed quite predominantly in my best of 2008 collection. Why he isn’t more well known is beyond me.

Saylor’s voice has just a little bit of the south peaking through, just enough cracking (or actually the straddling of a natural break between his higher and lower singing voice) to draw you in. It isn’t polished and it isn’t supposed to be. Polish wouldn’t work on Stripmall Ballads as this is one of those stripmalls in the industrial area of town that doesn’t have the flash and glitz but has everything you will ever need. I know bad analogy but this acoustic folk album is just too good for you to let slip by. Do yourself a favour and swing by and pick up a copy – to entice you, here are two stand out tracks below to get you moving.

“So Romantic”
“Freeloader”
~from 2008′s “Since Jimmy Died”

Visit & Purchase Stripmall Ballads

~Smansmith

p.s. You can pick up another track from Stripmall Ballads alongside another interview over on Microphone Memory Emotion Blog.

Let’s not beat around the proverbial bush here, we love Lotte Kestner (Anna-Lynne Williams) around here.  A lot.

Yesterday, Lotte Kestner released a selection of stripped down ‘solo’ Trespassers William songs on her Bandcamp page.  There are 10 tracks that span more than a few years/albums and each one is focused directly at the stunningly ethereal vocals of this west coast siren.  But instead of the mythological siren, she will not devour you whole but instead provide you a rare opportunity to listen to her songs laid bare in their stark beauty.  This is truly a ‘quiet moment’ album consisting almost exclusively of her vocals over acoustic guitar…with a few overlays of vocals & background sounds mixed in for good measure.

If you are here today for slow and acoustic music (and I hope you are), well then you have come on the prefect day with this album being featured.  I especially enjoy one of my favourite covers that she graciously included in this collection – ‘To Be the One’ originally from the band Idaho.  The song is featured on the Trespassers William EP “Noble House” (iTunes) and it is a must.  Molasses slow with only the strum of a guitar breaking up lyrics in perfect cadence.  Listen below:

So everyone, just slip on over to the Lotte Kestner Bandcamp page (HERE) and plunk down your $8.00 (or more) for this wonderful collection of songs.

Find & Follow Lotte Kestner: Facebook | Twitter | Website
Find Trespassers William: Website

~Smansmith

Ryan Tanner’s “Peaceful Mind” is today’s song of the day.  It’s poignant, beautiful to listen to and just the right distance between sorrow and contentment.  I think his Canadian musical doppelganger might be Frederick Squire…listen to the lyrics and you will see where I am coming from.

You might remember Ryan Tanner from the post on his fantastic cover of Steve Earle’s “Goodbye” (see here) and while I have a smattering of tracks from Ryan, what I really want is an album.  I know, just another blogger wanting even more music…but when it sounds as heartbreakingly good as this, how can you not?

Keep an eye out on Ryan Tanner’s Website, Blog, Twitter and Bandcamp page…you never know what you might find!

~Smansmith

New album from I Am Oak “Oasem” is due out in about 3 weeks or so and it is one of the most beautiful albums I have heard this year.

I have only been listening to I Am Oak for about a year or so since Geert from The Black Atlantic recommended it to me.  When that happens, you listen and I have been listening ever since.  His 2010 album “On Claws” was/is also fantastic with tracks like “On Oxen & “On Trees and Birds and Fire” – but with Oasem, he even extends on the aura oozing out of the sounds of I Am Oak.  If that is even possible.  The new album is slow, ebb and flow type, waning at times…songs like “Distances II” combine synth backing with electric guitar over layered vocals…stunning.

There are multiple double takes on songs – for example there are songs like Distances, Horizon and Island that all have a “II” version which I am often torn as to if they are completely separate or simply reinterpretations of the same thought.  The double takes are usually a larger sound-scape than the original (a song like Island II is immense!) but stand alone on the album quite well.  At this time the track Ocyaan is a favourite with it’s enveloping synth, ominous electric guitar and the constant comforting of Thijs Kuijken’s vocals.  Highly recommended.

Listen to the lead off track ‘Curt’ below followed by the teaser video for the album.

~

Oasem Promo from Thijs Kuijken on Vimeo.

Swing by I Am Oak’s website, Bandcamp and the Snowstar page for more information on this and previous albums.  Pre-order the album HERE.

~Smansmith

p.s.  Bonus track from the Snowstar Compilation from 2009: “Gold And Porcelain“

Puzzle Muteson has his ‘debut’ album coming up from the fine folks at Bedroom Community.  The lead off single is currently a free download of the title track from the album and is absolutely stunning.  While Bedroom Community indicates that this is is debut album, it just might be his ‘official’ debut album as I seem to have a previous album of his from a few years back….maybe he didn’t actually release it as much as he gave it away…who knows.  Regardless, his new sound is definitely coming along with sweeping sound-capes and gorgeous arrangements.

This particular song is a fragile one and it features Muteson’s unique voice & delivery alongside some gorgeous finger picked acoustics.  It starts to build up about 3/4s of the way in, as if to say there is more behind this “enigmatic songwriter from the Isle of Wight”…I can’t wait to find out the entire picture this June when the full album is released.  I will be in line to purchase, how about you?

“En Garde” – Puzzle Muteson, from the single (May 23rd) & upcoming album (June 6th), En Garde

Visit Puzzle Muteson on Facebook, Bandcamp (grab the 320kbps version of the track here) and keep an eye on him at Bedroom Community.

~Smansmith

p.s.  Find an earlier post on Puzzle Muteson with a great video and earlier track HERE.

Small Sur has an album coming up called “Tones”!  Small Sur has a just launched Kickstarter campaign for said album!  Small Sur is streaming 2 songs from the upcoming album on their new Bandcamp page!  This, my friends, is a great Friday.

Small Sur (or Bob Keal front and centre, along with co-horts Andy Abelow & Austin Stahl) provide that music that is both majestic in it’s simply beauty and heartbreaking in its sound.  I have enjoyed the music of Small Sur for a few years and honestly everything they release is solid, the band doesn’t make below par tunes, plain and simple.  I did know the album was circling, but just recently official word has become to the forefront with the start of both a Kickstarter and the band’s Bandcamp page (with 2 new songs)!  First, let’s listen to a song to get you in the giving mood.

So that track is phenomenal and a favourite of all the individual songs I have heard this year so far (this is starting out to be a pretty good year, as an aside).  So the album looks to have a June 28th release date and a month long Kickstarter to assist in the release.  Bob discussed with me and mentions it on the album campaign that this isn’t fundraising, it is simply an option to help out the band release the album with your pre-order (and more if you should choose).  They are releasing it and simply are looking to ensure a successful launch, plain and simple.  So please consider a donation to the cause, as its a good one.

*Donate to the Small Sur Kickstarter*

Visit Small Sur on Facebook, Bandcamp (stream another song “Pretty Boy” as well) and their Website.

~Smansmith

I missed the official release of the album yesterday, but I actually didn’t post anything yesterday, so that makes it better?  Okay, okay, I really wanted to post and tell you about one of my favourite new albums of the Slowcoustic variety in Andy Berkhout’s “Love Without Fear”.  Andy is no stranger to Slowcoustic with his spot on acoustic takes on life, relationships and makes almost any subject matter sound good.

The new album is 10 tracks that don’t fall far from what we hold dear – acoustic, melody, harmonica and a bit of drawl.  While I don’t classify Andy as an Americana artist, there seems to be a bit of it hiding underneath his singer songwriter exterior.  You might hear a bit in songs like “So Patiently” and “It Takes Two” – just something there.  Then he will turn about and knock you over with stunning beauty in the delicate “Empty Room, Heavy Heart” and combine both Americana and the delicate in “Love’s Deep Embrace” (two of my current favourite tracks).

A little about the album from Andy’s Website:

“The album was recorded at R&R Music Labs, a young studio in St. Louis’ Dogtown neighborhood.  Engineers Ryan Albritton and Ryan Lewis (The Northwoods, Messy Jiverson) experimented with a variety of different room arrangements to capture the acoustic subtleties of the songs.  Much of the album was recorded live with no overdubs.  “I really wanted to make a record that would represent my natural sound, and knew this was the right way to do it,” says Berkhout.”

Andy cut his music making chops with a recent foray into releasing a song every week for a year.  Sounds daunting to say the least and if you followed it on his website you were privy to the growing talent of Andy as a songwriter and performer.  The series included better songs than most albums these days and it was a treat to get soo much music and so often – (see a post on one of those stellar songs here).  So essentially I am saying that you know this album wasn’t just thrown together, it grew out of crafting numerous tracks over time and it shows in the pretty darn solid collection of finger-picking, folk tinged beauties.  Definitely a recommended release.  Stream a few tracks below:

~

~

~

Find more on Andy at his Website, Facebook and Bandcamp and follow him on Twitter!
Purchase on Bandcamp (and get a real copy of the new CD here), iTunes, eMusic.

~Smansmith

Sam “Pickering” Pick has once again graced us with another one of his beautiful acoustic albums. I say “again” as he has numerous albums across various media hubs (and usually all for free) and I don’t know why this guy isn’t famous. The music created is that perfect hushed folk song that sometimes is just needed. This new album “The Boy in the Back” has a few doozies in that department and overall provides one of the best albums in a while for me.

Pickering Pick came to be known by myself via the Rate Your Music website as he provides all his albums as a free download (currently at 9 albums, 2 EPs and a single!!!). While he may be a bit too delicate for some, this music is absolutely beautiful and comes across as something so honest and fragile I always wonder why it is something that he parts with so easily. Maybe that is the whole idea though, something like this just needs to be shared. Please visit Pickering Pick, friend him, listen to his music, support his talent…he is one of the good ones folks.

“Annabel”
“Glad”
from 2010′s “The Boy in the Back”

~

Bonus: “Just Like Heaven (The Cure Cover)” – from 2010′s “Sally Gardens” EP

Visit Pickering Pick on Rate Your Music, Last.fm, Facebook and Bandcamp.

~Smansmith

Well it’s Record Store Day today and I am just putting a quick post to let you know what I’m listening to right now as I prepare to head out.  Ghosts I’ve Met.

While I have posted about Ghosts I’ve Met prior, I am really getting back into Sam Watts & Co. once again.  This is the softer acoustic ballads that float beautifully through headphones, soundtrack important moments and simply give you a good feeling.  There is also a bit of Americana vs. Slowed Down Folk vs. Orchestra with a splash of “melodramatic pop song” (as Myspace would say) throughout the band – the track below “Reno” “Payphone Patience” (revised with official promo track) is a fantastic number.  Its quite stunning, I hope you feel the same.

Maybe we will see more of Sam Watts, Brittain Ashford and Jenna Conrad around with a new album…you never know.  You can hear a few songs from the new (unreleased) album on the MySpace page linked below.

“Payphone Patience” – Ghosts I’ve Met, from 2009′s “Payphone Patience” EP

Visit Ghosts I’ve Met:

~Smansmith

Just thought I would share as I was listening to the above album on the way to work. The album is spectacular – this is roots banjo folk at its best. Released last year to little fanfare (why, oh why) this album is a mix of full on banjo honky tonk to slow folk(y) balladeer material. And it has grit. Grit that finds itself placed between an 80 year old tough as nails bluesman to a young punk rocker. And it really works. I have said many times that I can get down with a lot of folk themed styles but sometimes full on olde tyme folk or honky tonk country does get a bit lost on me but this album gives me hope that I will eventually be able to understand it all.

Highly recommended for the banjo lovers, fans of someone like “The Gunshy” and even a Scott Biram. Enjoy a couple of tracks below.

Graham Lindsey
“Tomorrow is Another Night” (mp3)
“Old Roger” (mp3)
from “We Are All Alone in This Together”
(SPACEBAR Recordings)

Buy at iTunes Music Store
Stream from Rhapsody
Buy at Amazon MP3
More On This Album

~~~

Find more Graham Lindsey:

~Smansmith

p.s. I love the artwork on a few of his album covers (notably this album and his “The Mine EP”).

Ever since one of my mates (I can say mate as he is from the UK, so there) turned me onto Stripmall Ballads I have been wanting to post something over here on Slowcoustic.  There is a great interview post over on You Crazy Dreamers HERE with Phillips Saylor who is the man they call Stripmall Ballads.

Not unlike his moniker, I find the music Saylor creates can have a bit of everything in an unassuming package – there is country, folk, noise, rock all mixed into a lo-fi package that really works.  The one “piece of work” that I have really enjoyed is “Since Jimmy Died” which was released last year and is 10 tracks of a man singing his very heart out.  Not in the sense that he can sing no longer, but in a sense that he leaves everything out there for you to ingest.  Let yourself take it all in and you will realize that this tragic sounding album is one of the most beautiful things you will hear.  I swear that this album breaks my heart just a little each time I listen to it and it isn’t entirely due to subject matter but the overall atmosphere the album creates.  If I was more aware of the album, it would have been placed quite predominantly in my best of 2008 collection.  Why he isn’t more well known is beyond me.

Saylor’s voice has just a little bit of the south peaking through, just enough cracking (or actually the straddling of a natural break between his higher and lower singing voice) to draw you in.  It isn’t polished and it isn’t supposed to be.  Polish wouldn’t work on Stripmall Ballads as this is one of those stripmalls in the industrial area of town that doesn’t have the flash and glitz but has everything you will ever need.  I know bad analogy but this acoustic folk album is just too good for you to let slip by.  Do yourself a favour and swing by and pick up a copy – to entice you, here are two stand out tracks below to get you moving.

“So Romantic”
“Freeloader”
~from 2008′s “Since Jimmy Died”

Visit & Purchase Stripmall Ballads

~Smansmith

p.s.  You can pick up another track from Stripmall Ballads alongside another interview over on Microphone Memory Emotion Blog.

I don’t know why I ever go without listening to Matthew Ryan for more than a few days.  While I don’t full appreciate 100% of his stuff, 90% of it is frickin’ great with at least 50% of it kicking the shite out of anyone else, anywhere.

Why am I saying this?  Well I was trolling the Daytrotter archives (highly recommended) and decided to re-download the Matthew Ryan set from last September – as I just couldn’t find it in my iTunes.  Did I not download it, did I miss it all together, did I simply delete it by accident?  All options, and damn I am glad I re-downloaded it.  Go and download it now it is a must have (although it all comes from one album except for “Misundercould”).  That is the track I am including here, but make sure you head back over to Daytrotter, sign up (like you haven’t already) and get the remainder of the 3 tracks.  While Daytrotter indicates the song is “unreleased” it actually appears on a bit of an underground release by Ryan called “From A Late Night High Rise” from a couple of years back.  The album version has a bit more of a produced and rock sound, so this version from Daytrotter is truly fantastic in my books.

“Misundercould” – Matthew Ryan – from the Daytrotter Session, September 17th, 2008

Now go watch this as well and tell me why this guy isn’t famous?

~Smansmith

When one visits a site like mine and listens to music, one gets and idea of the style of music you will often be subject to everytime you come back.  While there is nothing wrong with blogs that cover multile genres of music and even have a “media information” feel and cover movies, celebrity, cultural events as well as music – but that is not me.  When you come here you can expect to get great music* that tends to be on the slower side, often acoustic and what many call “lonely night” or “fall asleep” music.  Well…call it what you will, I like it and I hope I provide you the music you look for when coming here.

That random and cryptic opening aside – I want to introduce you to more of that great music*, or remind you of someone that seems to be slipping under the radar.  I only say this as I don’t seem to see to much on him in the blogosphere – at least for someone with a clearly spectacular album like Very Long Dream.  I just don’t get it.  Think of the best parts of a modern folk/country/singer songwriter album and despite what some say is “very Dylan” at its core, comes off as an overall sound influence rather than an off the cuff description of who he is.  I get the reference – the sound is timeless, played mostly solo and there might be an ever so slight scratch in the delivery – but it is all Notari, and it is all good.  See the description from his MySpace page that describes him, his past and his journey to this album:

Huck grew up in the White Mountains of New Hampshire in an old country house. He eventually found himself on the west coast where he helped form the Cardboard Songsters, a vaudeville troupe. He then landed in New Orleans miming on the streets as Charlie Chaplin where he joined the Kitchen Syncopators, a ragtime and country blues band with former members of the Songsters. He released his first solo record, “Highland” in 2007 and his second album, “Very Long Dream” in February of 2009. Accompanied by friends, he has created an original, honest country sound.

This album was sent to me months ago from one of my friends on Rate Your Music (the kind of friend that makes me feel like I don’t know anything about music, yes, he’s that good).  I admit I let is sit too long.  I started listening again and then I really started hearing it and it has moved to a top 10 album for the year for me at this point.  The album is full of rolling, lazy country hills (Undone, Fall to Hard), down trodden acoustic paths (Wall Around Your Heart, Who Could Let You Go) to my current favourites (He Rode Off, I Want to Win) to a nice little live-ish track (Dark and Dreary Day) – which could be that Dylan track of note.

I honestly believe Notari and his crew of have made a spectacular, year end list album here.

“He Rode Off” – Huck Notari – from 2009′s “Very Long Dream” (HIGHLY recommended)

Visit Huck Notari on MySpace, pick up his CD at CD Baby, iTunes and Amazon.

~Smansmith

*”great music” – The views, conclusions, findings and opinions of the author are solely of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the general public, greater music industry or their employees.

“The heart of a cur keeping time with her bedroom eyes.” ~JLL

The upcoming album from Jeffrey Luck Lucas entitled “The Lion’s Jaw” should be out any second and from the few tracks I have heard it is going to be another incredible album.  This is a top album in the “looking forward to in 2009″ for me and am glad it is about to surface.  Why this guy isn’t more famous, is beyond me.

Yes, I am being purposefully vague about the release date for the new album as it has not “officially” been set yet, but I have good authority that it will be available within the next couple of weeks.  The music industry can be an enigma in itself and a lowly music blogger simply wants the end product of a great album.  This particular great album cannot get here fast enough.  If anyone is familiar with Jeffrey Luck Lucas you will know that there is a theme/feeling/aura surrounding the work of Lucas: one of solitude, trying times and ultimately a mixture of hope amongst bleak times.  In going back and forth with Lucas (as you will see below in the interview), he is conscious of this mystique he conjures with his talent.  One that draws me like a moth to a flame, not blindly, but just something that consistently brings fulfilling music – not the one hit wonders or smash and grab singles that circle the world of music these days.

Lucas has 2 previous albums to date of which both come highly recommended for lovers of the sombre almost Americana crowd.  I say almost as his music floats around many genres but doesn’t make its home in anything specific – It has essence of a Matthew Ryan’s melancholy, Leonard Cohen’s storytelling and delivery.  I used those two artists as one brings to mind a mature established performer with the other bringing something more modern down-tempo, the blending of it all gives you a great idea of what Jeffrey Luck Lucas provides.  Another way to put it is to let you know the titles of the two previous album “Hell Then Divine” and “What We Whisper”.  So you get an aching performance of the down trodden with that glimmer of redemption only moments away (all the while being aware of oneself and being awake to some humour of it all).

Well, if I can say one thing, it is “The Lion’s Jaw” is going to be another notch on this troubadour’s belt and should make it’s way to your collection…soon.  Let’s dig into a bit of “Q & A” with Jeffrey Luck Lucas.

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1. Who is Jeffrey Luck Lucas – introduce yourself to our readers – and is “Luck” really your middle name?

“Luck” is as real a name as any of mine, in my opinion, though I wasn’t born with it. I was christened with the name around a pool table in a great long-lost dive bar. It had a nice ring to it so I let it stick. I don’t know how to introduce myself. Maybe we’ll let the music do the introducing? I mean, it’s all there.

2. We are big fans here at Slowcoustic/You Crazy Dreamers and me especially as I am a jokingly described as a fan of “sad bastard music” – is this how you would describe your music?

Thank you… I do appreciate the support and encouragement to keep doing the dirty work. Though I do encourage others getting dirty with me.

I would say that the music is created by a sad bastard, but it isn’t all sad (and neither is the bastard). I think there’s a lot of beauty and humor drifting alongside all the emotional wreckage and debris. Not to mention sex and violence.

I think as more recordings surface the story will become more complete. It is definitely a living voyage that just happened to begin with a funeral march.

3. Now releasing your third album “The Lion’s Jaw” – When is it being released, where can we get it?

THE LION’S JAW will be released soon, this month I believe. It has been horribly delayed. The only bright side being that I’ve basically finished the fourth album (which I’m really really excited about) and that should be coming out this year as well. I don’t have a title yet, unfortunately.

You should be able to get THE LION’S JAW soon on iTunes and other online electronic distributors. We will also be doing a limited run of vinyl and CDs that will be personalized, numbered, etc. And it will have it’s own European label/release as well.

4. What were some of the things that lead to or assisted in the creation of the new album?

A sense of growing strength. An ability to face the present with clear vision. Working through an emotional backlog. Being comfortable in the skin of the night. Giving-up black and white ideals. Coming to terms with never coming to terms. Eroticism and passion in the midst of hell. And new sources of inspiration from my friends and loved ones. From their music. And Desmond Shea’s co-vision… his ability to find diamonds in my bullshit. [please edit this at will]

I really view THE LION’S JAW as a door. It marks the end and the beginning, depending on which way you’re heading.

5. You are more than a “guy with a guitar” – you are known as a trained composer & cellist, how do these integrate into your albums?

I tried to plaster as much of my self and my vision as I could on these records. I love doing arrangements and playing any and every thing I can. I record demos for every song, playing all the instruments. I learn so much from doing that. BUT… now I’ve found some guys who’ve living the music with me… and they’re bringing something… so I think the next records will be a little less claustrophobic… more accessible in a purely collaborative/spiritual way. Jesus, did I just write that?

6. Any upcoming shows, festivals that you are appearing at – where can we see ya?

Well, we’ve been working hard to get a strong band that can handle the music, so you should be seeing us over the next few months. You have to let the record simmer for awhile before you go out to lose money in support of it. Seriously, though, we’ll be in Europe late Fall/Winter and start from there.

I’ll also have a pretty full schedule playing cello and other things with other artists like KIRA LYNN CAIN and JAMES FINCH JR. this Summer and Fall.

7. Who are artists that you have toured/worked with that have influenced you?

TINDERSTICKS, JOHN DOE, ALEJANDRO ESCOVEDO, THE WILLARD GRANT CONSPIRACY come to mind, as far as artists I’ve shared the stage with. My bandmates, JUSTIN FRAHM and JAMES FINCH JR. are amazing songwriters, along with KIRA LYNN CAIN. SEAN COLEMAN (now of Dublin, Ireland) is an amazing musician and an inspiration. And we wouldn’t be here talking if it weren’t for DESMOND SHEA, producer, engineer, 5th Beatle, etc. I’m probably missing a dozen or so. What the hell…

As far as influences that I haven’t had a chance to work with or share the stage with, I would say LOU REED, SERGE GAINSBOURG, SCOTT WALKER, NICK DRAKE, NICK CAVE, LEONARD COHEN, JOHNNY CASH, LAMBCHOP, IGGY POP, ITALIAN FILM MUSIC, etc. etc.

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There you have the great insight of JLL and please consider frequenting his sites to find the new album once released.  Prior to that, you can pick up a copy of “What We Whisper” (iTunes and CD Baby) and “Hell Then Divine” (iTunes and CD Baby).
You can also visit Mr. Lucas over on his Website and his MySpace page for updates on the new album.

~Smansmith

Another installment of “Why Isn’t This Guy Famous” – and seriously, why isn’t he?

Gregory Alan Isakov has been a favourite for years now, he has great albums.  When I say great albums, I mean he has multiple albums that are consistently great – not just the 3-4 good songs with some ‘throw aways” to fill it out.  All great albums.  So far 4 albums in total (don’t get me wrong, I only have 3 as one entitled “Songs From A Cold Room” has eluded me).   When I say 4 albums, there is only a mention on his press kit of his 2001 album “Songs From A Cold Room”, but his most recent albums (see below) are probably what he is known for.

From his Website:

In 1999 he sought out his solo acoustic roots and moved to Colorado where he now resides. He has been taking on the folk music scene with his 2003 release “Rust Colored Stones” LP. and his 2005 release “Songs For October”. Gregory Alan Isakov’s song-craft lends to the deepest lyrical masterpieces, and his live performance has been known to quiet and shake the biggest rooms….Gregory has toured solo and with his band “The Freight”, and has currently released a new album “That Sea, The Gambler” (2007)

So yes, there is a couple of years since his last album, and I am sure an unsigned artist might not have all the resources, so again…why isn’t this guy famous – I need more of this singer-songwriters sombre masterpieces.  He has currently just started out on a tour that will include multiple shows with Brandi Carlile in March and April before he heads over to the Netherlands for some performances.

Okay, listen to some tracks from his previous albums and tell me you don’t find yourself humming along, tapping a foot (or two) and quickly right clicking to “save as” to your desktop…

“Only Ghosts”

“Garden”

“Black & Blue”
“All There Is”
“The Stable Song”

As you now have heard, he incorporates his soft vocals alongside acoustic guitar, banjo, pedal steel for twang, snare drum for structure and great songwriting.  You can also click each album cover above to visit CD Baby and pick up any or all of the albums.

You can visit him on his Website and MySpace page – both have the upcoming tour dates and a bit more information on the man himself (but not as much as he deserves to be said about him…)

~Smansmith

Sorry for not posting yesterday, it should wet your appetite for a great post…well people, it looks to have all worked out then….everyone, I give you;

Brown Bird (or David Lamb) has been around officially for the last 5 years (maybe a bit more actually…), but is finally getting his credit where it has been due for a while – well from me at least!  I first heard Brown Bird a few years back when I absolutely had to have the pseudo compilation “Tautology” which is actually kind of a merging of two EPs and released in 2006 (with songs from the previous few years and the help of the Family Robinson – Jeremy and Jerusha).  I was hooked from the first full play of “Some Boys’ Scars” and “Train to the City”.   The mix of orchestral elements and acoustic Americana blew me away!  That and the fact that it was a touch hard to get for some dude up in Canada made me all the more intrigued, finding a track here and there across the internet was the way of the day for me.

Then comes along the album “such unrest” in 2007 and I had to search this out as well and finally picked up my copy (along with an official copy of “Tautology“) from CD Baby.  This album solidified for me the fact that this is some of the best somber folk tinged stories I had in my ever growing library.  “such unrest” brought with it a phenomenal title track along with the stellar “My Mind is an Alter” – again with strings, finger picked guitar and an ever present lamenting accordion.

Most recently this year, we saw the release of “The Bottom of the Sea” at which point we had a trio of quality releases.  This guy just can’t miss!  While his music is very consistent, there does seem to be growth over the last few years, if for nothing else, a more refined production value.  This album is clearly going to be on my “Best of 2008″ post (it’s in the works people, in the works…) with it being a bit more “solo” of a project.  By “solo” I mean this release sees a bit less of a combination of instruments and concentrates more on the singer and his songs – hauntingly gorgeous.

With the release of “The Bottom of the Sea”, Lamb was busy touring the U.S. and is currently back in New England for the reminder of this year (with a couple of upcoming shows in the area).  He also discussed with me some upcoming news – a new release next year through Peapod Recordings!.  This new album will see the return of cello, accordion, banjo (my favourite) and introducing a lap steel – sounds promising to say the least.  Also, If we are lucky we will get a chance to pick up a copy of his split EP with Annie Palmer, that currently is only available at shows (released through Peapod as well – cross your fingers).

Well that’s it for the gushing, lets get down to three audible examples of the beauty of Brown Bird.

So the name doesn’t roll of the tongue (or maybe it does), but Elephant Micah has been around for a few years supplying masterful CDRs full of down tempo fuzz-folk.  So I am making up genres now, but if you have heard Joe O’Connell’s recording you know what I mean.

Elephant Micah has 9 albums and 5 EPs that have been released in the last 7 years, according to his Wikipedia page at least – that looks surprisingly accurate.  Well I don’t know about you but that is one impressive amount of music for one person to actually release!  This of course is excluding his newest CDR release “Exiled Magicians” on Luddite Rural Recording Cooperative where you can also purchase a few of his other CD and CDR releases.

While I admit that EM can get a little experimental at times, he can simply tear it all down and knock you over with an astounding folk, singer-songwriter performance.  This guy kills me that he is not more well known, I mean he is well respected in certain indie circles (mine included) and he has a talent that is more than the fringe circuit can contain.  Oh well, maybe be saying you should listen to him may help, who knows – it is not like there is a shortage of his material to catch the ear of even a stray blogger…

I have many favourites from Elephant Micah, of which many can be downloaded here from his site.  If you get a chance, please consider purchasing the new CD as it is better than 95% of anything out there, trust me.  Find the track “Imperial Blues” from 2008′s “Exiled Magicians” CDR along with the classic “The Environmentalist” from 2004′s “Elephant Micah and the Loud Guitars” CDR

Please…enjoy.

~Smansmith

**UPDATE – You can purchase a copy of the “pre-release” CDR at Third Uncle Records and keep checking back for the official release CD with updated artwork!